NFC collision avoidance with controllable NFC transmission delay timing

• US 9,723,635 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2016
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nambord, Magnus, Hansson, Emil
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Tan H
• Application Number:
  US15/138,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20160242209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411, 455 412, 455 631, 455426, 455 73, 4551142, 455 903, 455 78, 455 6711, 307104, 320137, 320108, 320104
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/085 collision avoidance

Abstract

A first near field communication (NFC) circuit includes an antenna, a charging circuit, a transceiver circuit, and a transmission delay circuit. The antenna is configured to inductively couple to signals emitted by a second NFC circuit. The charging circuit is configured to output power provided by the inductive coupling through the antenna to the signals emitted by the second NFC circuit. The transceiver circuit is configured to be powered by the charging circuit to transmit data for receipt by the second NFC circuit. The transmission delay circuit is configured to be powered by the charging circuit and control the transceiver circuit to delay transmission of the data until expiration of a defined delay time after the transceiver circuit has become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data. Related accessories for user equipment, user equipment, and methods are disclosed.

Claims

1. A first near field communication (NFC) circuit comprising:

an antenna configured to inductively couple to signals emitted by a second NFC circuit;

a charging circuit configured to output power provided by the inductive coupling through the antenna to the signals emitted by the second NFC circuit;

a transceiver circuit configured to be powered by the charging circuit to transmit data for receipt by the second NFC circuit; and

a transmission delay circuit configured to be powered by the charging circuit and control the transceiver circuit to delay transmission of the data until expiration of a defined delay time after the transceiver circuit has become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data;

wherein the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defined delay time based on determining that signals from a third NFC circuit were received by the transceiver circuit.

2. The first NFC circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defined delay time based on determining that signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the transceiver circuit within a threshold time after the transceiver circuit became sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data.

3. The first NFC circuit according to claim 2, wherein the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defined delay time to disable transmission of the data by the transceiver circuit until the first NFC circuit is subsequently powered off and back on.

4. The first NFC circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defined delay time based on determining that signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the transceiver circuit while the transceiver circuit is transmitting the data to the second NFC circuit.

5. The first NFC circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver circuit is configured to receive a delay setting signal transmitted by the second NFC circuit;

and the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defined delay time based on the delay setting signal.

6. The first NFC circuit according to claim 5, wherein the transmission delay circuit is configured to respond to the delay setting signal by disabling subsequent transmission of data by the transceiver circuit until the first NFC circuit is powered off and back on.

7. The first NFC circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission delay circuit of the first NFC circuit is configured to determine that the signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the transceiver circuit of the first NFC circuit and responsively set the defined delay time.

8. The first NFC circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defined delay time based on a count of a number of times data has been transmitted by the transceiver circuit for receipt by the second NFC circuit.

9. The first NFC circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit data for receipt by the second NFC circuit at a frequency of 13.56 MHz.

10. A user equipment comprising:

a first near field communication (NFC) circuit that is configured to emit a signal to provide power through inductive coupling to a second NFC circuit of an accessory configured to be used with the user equipment; and

a processor that is configured to transmit a delay setting signal through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit of the accessory that controls a defined delay time that the second NFC circuit delays before beginning to transmit data after the second NFC circuit has become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data;

wherein the processor is configured to transmit the delay setting signal through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit based on determining that signals from a third NFC circuit were received by the first NFC circuit.

11. The user equipment according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the delay setting signal through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit based on determining that signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the first NFC circuit within a threshold time after the first NFC circuit began emitting the signal to provide power through inductive coupling to the second NFC circuit of the accessory.

12. The user equipment according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the delay setting signal responsive to determining that the signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the first NFC circuit within a threshold time after the first NFC circuit began emitting the signal to provide power to the second NFC circuit.

13. A user equipment comprising:

a first near field communication (NFC) circuit that is configured to emit a signal to provide power through inductive coupling to a second NFC circuit of an accessory configured to be used with the user equipment; and

a processor that is configured to transmit a defined delay time through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit of the accessory that controls a time that the second NFC circuit delays before beginning to transmit data after the second NFC circuit has become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data;

wherein the processor is configured to transmit the defined delay time through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit based on determining that signals from a third NFC circuit were received by the first NFC circuit.

14. The user equipment according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the defined delay time through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit based on determining that signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the first NFC circuit while the first NFC circuit was receiving the data from the second NFC circuit of the accessory.

15. The user equipment according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the defined delay time responsive to determining that the signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the first NFC circuit within a threshold time after the first NFC circuit began emitting the signal to provide power to the second NFC circuit.